Method of bursting unequal width portions from continuous stationery



L. JENS BURSTING UNE OM CONTINUOUS STATIO EN QUAL WIDTH PORTIONS NERY July 23, 1957 METHOD 0FR Filed July 6, 1955 3 Shets-Sheet l hJerzzarr all; krzsen July. 23, 1957 2,800,180

L. JENSE-N METHOD OF BURSTING UNEQUAL wm'ru PORTIONS Filed July 6, 1955 FROM CONTINUOUS STATIONERY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1083080 agu? f7? z/ezz for: 01115 271.5672! July 23, 1957 L. JENSEN METHOD 0F BURSTING UNEQUAL WIDTH PORTIONS NERY FROM. CONTINUOUS STATIQ 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 6]. 1955 United States Patent [O v METHOD OF BURSTING UNEQUAL WIDTHPOR- TIONS FROM- CONTINUOUS STATIONERY Louis Jensen, Chicago, Ill., assignor to UARCO, Incorporated, a corporation of Illinois Applicationduly 6, 1955, Serial No. 520,255

Claims. (Cl. 164---84.5)

This invention relates. to bursting continuous-form stationery into individual form lengthsandmore particularly to a method of bursting and separatingunequal width portions from a continuous Web.

In the past, machines have been employed for bursting form lengths from a continuous-type stationery wherein the form lengths were separated by cross lines. of. weak-. ening. The bursting has been accomplished in machines having coacting gripping rolls through which the station: ery was-passed with one set driven faster than the other so that the form lengths were torn from the continuos web along the lines of weakening. Such apparatus was not particularly diflicult to operate since some latitude was permitted due to thefact that all of the forms were of the same length. Difiiculty has been encountered, however, when the continuous stationery. has been made up of form lengths of unequal length so that the same latitude in operation was not present. The difficulty was particularly more. pronounced when oneportion to be burst from the continuous web was of very narrow length as compared with the other portions. I

It is an object of thisinvention to provide amethod of bursting. portions of unequal length from continuous form stationery so that the unequal length portions will each be separated from the stationery.

Another object of the invention .is to provide a method of bursting continuous-form stationery such that the bursting may occur alternately at spaced locations to accommodate portions of the stationery of unequal length.

A further object is to provide a method of bursting continuous-form. stationery into individual portions of unequal length and at. the same time separating the portions one from another.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of a machine for carrying. out the .process illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view, partly in section, through thebursting apparatus showing a continuous web of stationery therein from which portions have been burst;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, partially diagrammatic and partially broken away plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary partially sectional perspective view of a portion. ofthe apparatus illustrating its method of operation.

The use of continuous-form stationery in large business otfices. has increased andbeen extended" into operations previously handled. on. an individual. form basis. The payroll checks of many large business olfices now are prepared on continuous-form stationery so that the usual billing type machines might be used to make out the payroll checks as well as to provide copies for accounting records. The present invention is particularly concerned with bursting the continuous forms of checks presently used in many locations. The payroll checks generally have two portions, one being the check itself and the other 2v a statementofearnings for the records of the employee. The two portions are generally joined by a line of weakening which can be easily severed'so that. the employeev may retain his .statement of earnings. and cash the payroll check to which it was attached.

The particular difiiculty inhandlingthe continuousforms of such checks hasbeen a result of the manner in which the checks are secured together in the continuousform-stationery. Referring particularly to Figure2 of the drawings, the continuousform of checks is therein shown,.each check portion 4' being joined" to a record portion 5 along a line of weakening 6. As printed, each check and record portion, together which may hereinafterbe referred to as .a card, has a longitudinal margin'por tion 7 on the top and bottom. Apunched feedingband strip 8 and'9'is formed on the respective edges of the record" and check. After the checks are individually; printed; they are thereafter joined. together by the long narrow'margin portions7 by glueing or pasting one mar-'- gin portion 7 over the similar portion of the adjoining check. As thus finally joined together, the continuous stationery. is a succession. of relatively wide (in the longitudinal direction of the stationery) check and'record portions, called cards, and intervening narrow portions 7 which do not contain any information or printing;

It is desirable that the continuousforms made up of thecards and joining marginal portions 7 be individually burst and separatelydeposited so that the cards may be separately taken upfrom the margin portions. As noted in Figure 1, the card portions may be deposited in apile 10" whereas themargin waste portions, sometimes" referred to as chips, are deposited in a separate pile 11. The apparatusfor-accomplishing this purpose is diagram-- matically illustrated in the figures. 1

Assuming that the checks'have beenmadeout in a billing machine and the requisite copies made forthe accounting office, the stationery may then be taken-to-the bursting machineillustrated' in thedrawings wherein a signature will be placed onthe checks with an imprintersuch assliownin O- Conriell U. S. PatentNo. 2,344,120: The continuous: forms are fed by pins 12' one. piiiwheel 13 rolling against the hubs of a cutter wheel 14'wliose blade l5 extends into a cooperating groove 16 on' the pin- Wheel. In this manner, the stationery is properly'alig'ned and'the perforated feeding bands 8' and 9 are removedfrom the stationery in a continuous manner. The pinwheels are mounted upon a shaft 17 which may be driven by'appropriate gearing or other means. The continuous stationery. then passes-between apair of front coacting feed rolls 18 and 19mounted respectively on shaft 20*and 21. Therolls 18: and 19 feed the continuous stationery toward the rear coacting bursting rolls 22 and 23; respectively'mounted on shafts 24 and2'5. The driving means to the shafts 2'4.and.2'5- is so chosen that the rolls associated therewith travel faster than the rolls 18and 19 The front rolls grip the continuous stationery as well as feed it toward the rear rolls. All" of the rolls and the trimmers are mounted in side frames 37 mounted on an appropriately elevated table 38'.

In. the operation as illustrated in Figures 1' and 2-; therear bursting rolls Z2 and' 23 have just completed the bursting of a chip' 26 from the continuous stationery while the next succeeding card 27 is still within the'bightf otthefrontfeeding rolls18 and1 9: As the continuous stationery is forwarded at a uniform rate, the rolls must be driven in timed relation and must be further spaced so that only one line of weakening is present between the bights of the spaced pairs of rolls.

The operation is further illustrated in Figure 3 wherein the chip 26 is passing out of the bight of the rolls 22 and 23 and the next succeeding card 27 is about to pass into the bight so that the front rolls 18 and 19 are just about to pass onto the surface of the next succeeding chip 28. When each chip is first moved into the bight of the rear rolls, the front rolls are still on the surface of the next succeeding card. Thus, only one line of weakening,

illustrated by the front edge 29 of the card in Figure ,2.

ening close to the front feed rolls when the leading edge 29 of the cardenters the rear rolls. Thus, at no time is more than one cross line of weakening positioned between the two sets of rolls. The leading edge of each card has been designated 29 and the trailing edge 3%, these edges being, the same. as the lines of weakening before being severed from the.continuous web. It will be noted that each chip or waste portion has a line of weakening 29 or 30 on either side. Even though the chip is quite narrow, the rolls are so spaced that the distance between them is greater than the width of a card but less than the width of a card and chip together so that the rolls alternately grip the two unequal width portions during actual bursting operation.

A set of feed out rolls 31 and 32 are positioned beyond the rear rolls to receive the cards as they are discharged from the rear bursting rolls. The lower roll 31 is driven and the upper roll 32 idles against the lower roll urged downwardly by gravity due to its mounting upon links 32a. In this manner, the cards are forwarded to the pile 10 whereas the chips, being quite narrow have a tendency to cling to the rubber surface of the lower bursting roll 23 and be carried into the pile 11. Upstanding fingers 33 are provided to assure that the chip leaves the surface of the bursting roll 23. Guides in the form of wire fingers 34 and plates 35 and 36 confine the cards to the pile 10.

It willbe noted that the line of weakening along which the continuous stationery is burst is alternately located quite close to one and then the other set of rolls. When a chipis first gripped in the bight of the rear rolls, the line of weakening on the trailing edge of the chip is also quite close to therear rolls, the front rolls being on the trailing part of the next card. The next card is very quickly thereafter burst from the web along a line of weakening that is close to the front rolls, since the front rolls are then on the next chip. Additionally, each line of weakening is severed along its entire length at once since the rolls grip generally over the whole length of the card or chip.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. The method of bursting a continuous web of stationery along lines of weakening between alternate wide card and very narrow waste portions of unequal width, comprising: passing the web sequentially between the bights of spaced apart pairs of coacting feed-rolls, said pairs of rolls being spaced so that the web may be gripped on a waste portion and card portion alternately with only one line of weakening between the bights of the spaced pairs at any one time; driving both pairs of rolls, one faster than the other; and feeding the web first through the slower driven rolls so that the faster driven rolls may alternately burst waste portions and card portions from the web.

2. The method of bursting a continuous web of stationery along lines of weakening between two portions of exceedingly unequal width arranged in alternate series, comprising: passing the Web through a pair of web gripping means spaced apart a distance in excess of the width of the larger portion of the web and less than the width of both portions combined; driving the web gripping means to feed the web therethrough; driving one of said gripping means faster than the other to burst the web along a line of weakening momentarily between the gripping means and located alternately closely adjacent each gripping means; and separating the unequal width portions.

3. The method of bursing a continuous web along cross lines of weakening between alternately arranged relatively wide cards and relatively narrow waste portions, comprising: passing the continuous web between a first set of coacting gripping rolls at a uniform rate; then passing the web between a second set of coacting gripping rolls parallel to the first set and at a distance from the first set greater than the width of one card and less than the width of one card and waste portion together; driving the second set of gripping rolls faster than the first set; gripping a waste portion in the second rolls and bursting it e from the web while holding the next adjacent card in the first rolls; then gripping the next card in the second rolls and bursting it from the web while holding the next adjacent waste portion in the first rolls; and continuously repeating the grippin. and bursting steps.

4. The method of bursting a continuous web of stationery along lines of weakening between alternate wide card and narrow waste portions of exceedingly unequal width, comprising: passing the web between a first pair of coacting feed-rolls toward the bight of a second pair of feed-rolls; providing the second feed-rolls with a bight extending over the width of the web to grip each portion over its full width; said pairs of rolls being spaced so that the web may be gripped in both pairs with only one line of weakening between the bights of the rolls; driving both pairs of rolls, the second faster than the first to alternately burst card and waste portions from the continuous web; and separating the card portions from the narrow waste portions.

5. The method ofbursting a continuous web along lines of weakening between alternate wide card portions and narrow waste portions of exceedingly unequal width, comprising: passing the web between pairs of coacting rolls parallel and a distance apart in excess of the card width but less than the width of a card and waste portion together so that the web passing between both rolls may have but a single unsevered line of weakening between the rolls; driving both pairs of rolls, one faster than the other; feeding the web in sequence to the slower and then to the faster driven rolls; sequentially gripping waste portions and card portions in the bight of the faster driven rolls while sequentially holding card portions and waste portions in the bight of the slower driven rolls in timed relation to burst the web along lines of weakening alternately adjacent each pair of rolls; discharging the waste portions from the faster driven rolls and feeding the card portions past the waste portions to a separate discharge point.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

